Speed-meter.



' RLJOHNSON.

SPEED METER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 16. 1006.

945,327. Patented Jan.4, 1910.

' -I I .&

1 W/T/VESSES INVENTOR A TTOBNE) RAGNAR JOHNSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SPEED-METER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 4, 1910.

Application filed August 16, 1906. Serial No. 330,811.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RAGNAR JOHNSON, a subject of the King of Sweden,residing at the borough ofBrooklyn, city of New York, in the county ofKings and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Speed-Meters, of which the following is a full, clear,and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,and to the reference characters marked thereon.

My invention has relation to implements or devices for indicating thespeed of a wheel or other part of a machine and known as speed meters orspeed indicators.

WVhile my improved device is applicable in any situation wherein a speedmeter may be advantageously employed, it is especially designed for thepurposes of measuring or indicating the speed of traveling vehicles, andparticularly in connection with automobiles and other rapidly travelingvehicles wherein it is desirable that the speed should be measured orindicated.

The object of my invention is to provide or produce a simple, cheap,compact, efficient and reliable speed meter which shall be of few andsimple parts, which shall indicate low speeds as well as high speeds,which may be easily constructed and assembled, and which will not beliable to become disarranged or otherwise to get out of order.

To accomplish the foregoing and to secure other and further advantagesin the matters of construction, operation and use, my improvementsinvolve certain new and useful arrangements or combinations of parts andpeculiarities of construction as will be herein first fully describedand then pointed out. in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, Figure1 is a front elevation of my improved speed meter. Fig. 2 is a verticalsection and elevation on a plane through line 22 of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is aview partly in section and partly in elevation on a plane through themain axis of the device. Fig. 4 is a top or plan view of the main shaftof the device showing the manner of arranging and mounting the movableweights.

In all these figures like letters of reference, wherever they occur,indicate corresponding parts.

is a cylindrical shell of metal or other suitable material within whichthe working parts of the meter are mounted and arranged and whereby theyare protected from dust or other substances which would inter- -ferewith their reliable operation.

B is a dial or scale plate secured in the front part of the cylinder A,and on this is displayed suitable graduations and indices, substantiallyas indicated in Fig. 1 and according to the circumstances or conditionsunder which the meter is to be used. The dial plate is fixed in positionby use of rods, a, a, which may be connected with the back plate A andby screws, as Z), I), or in any other suitable, reliable manner.

In front of the dial plate and closing the otherwise open front portionof the cylinder A is a transparent protecting plate, C, which is usuallymade of glass and mounted in place so that it will maintain its positionunder all circumstances of use.

I) is the finger or pointer, the same being mounted upon a shaft, as 0,located near the wall of the cylinder and serving, through connectionswith the operating parts, to move the pointer, the outer end of whichtraverses the scale.

E is the main shaft of the meter, the same being mounted so that it maybe easily, smoothly and rapidly rotated. This shaft is stepped at bottomin a bracket, F, which is secured in place upon a portion of the casing,a threaded neck F of this bracket ex tending through the casing to serveas a means of mounting the meter in place in connection with a suitablesupport, a reduced portion of the shaft projecting down through the neckof the bracket to receive the means by which motion is communicated tothe shaft from the wheel or other object the speed of which it isdesired to measure or indicate.

F represents a portion of any form of support fitted to receive thethreaded neck F and to sustain the meter.

F represents any suitable form of connection, as a flexible tubing to beconnected with the end of the shaft to transmit motion thereto. Theupper end of the shaft is maintained in position by a pivot pin, G,which is sustained in afixed bracket, G The pivot pin is preferablythreaded through the bracket and arranged to be adjusted to the properposition for work.

H, H, are weights, preferably in the form of flat disks, and these aremounted in arms connected with the shaft and with a movable collarmounted on said shaft in suchmanner that the rapid rotation of the shaftwill com- L. The spring L is carried by a slidable collar, M, mounted tomove vertically upon the shaft as by means of a feather (not shown) andarranged to be moved by the sprin K. The position of spring L and thereore its available tension is regulated by a nut threaded upon thecollar. The stop pin c' seated in the shaft limits the upward travel ofspring L.

The collar I is provided with parallel bands and grooves which encircleit and which constitute the teeth by which the engaging pinion is madeto rotate as the collar is moved up and down upon the shaft. Theengaging pinion is represented at g, the same being mounted at theproper point on a rotatable shaft, 9 which carries a crank disk, as gThe shaft 0 is also'supplied with a crank disk, as at 9 and these twocranks are connected by asuitable link, as h.

hen the device thus constructed and arranged is in operation, a moderatemovement or speed of the main shaft will cause the weights H to swingoutward and draw up the collar I which in turn will cause the spring Kto elevate the collar M which carries the spring L against the stop pin,2'. A slot, as at '70, in the top of the collar M permits the collar toride up a short distance pastthe pin 2'. As soon as the bottom of thisslot touches the pin, the further upward movement of the collarisarrested, and then, if the speed be increased, the larger spring K iscompressed and its power of resistance is opposed to the further outwardmovement of the centrifugally acting weights. 7

The up and down movements of the collar I cause the shaft g to rotate inone direction or the other, and through the connections above referredto, cause the pointer D to move upon the scale. The position of thepointer in respect to the scale at any time indicates the speed of themain shaft and therefore the speed of the object with which the mainshaft is connected and from which it is driven.

The employment of the adjustable nut f upon the threaded collar M whichrests on the stronger spring K and which carries the spring L of lesserpower than spring K, provides means for regulating the position ofspring L.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new herein anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a speed meter the combination of a shaft, a collar movable on saidshaft, a spring resting on said collar,'a second collar surrounding saidshaft and resting on said spring, a second spring supported by saidsecond collar, means on the shaft to limit the upward movement of saidsecond collar and means for adjustingthe position of the second springon said collar.

2. In a speed meter the combination of a shaft, a collar movable on saidshaft, a spring resting on said collar, a second collar surrounding saidshaft and resting on said spring, a second spring supported by saidsecond collar, means on the shaft to limit the upward movement of saidsecond collar and an adjustable nut on said second collar bearingagainst said second spring.

3. In a speed meter the combination of the main shaft, springs ofdifferent powers, a collar slidable upon the shaft, arms pivotallyconnectedwith-said collar on said shaft, weights mounted on said armsand arranged to compress the springs by movement of said collar, asecond collar surroundingthe shaft resting upon the spring of greaterpower and bearing the spring of lesser power, and a nut adjustable uponsaid second collar sub stantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a speed meter the combination of the main shaft, springs ofdifferent powers, a collar slidable upon the shaft, arms pivotallyconnected with said shaft and said collar, weights mounted on said armsand arranged to compress the springs by movement of said collar, asecond collar sur- RAGNAR JOHNSON.

Witnesses:

C. SEDGWIGK, J. M. HOWARD.

